Curried Chickpea And Summer Vegetable Stew - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons peanut oil or 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups yellow onions, diced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (4 cups)
1 medium summer squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (1 3/4 cups)
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (1 1/4 cups)
kosher salt
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 small red hot chili pepper, minced
fresh ground black pepper
15 ounces chickpeas, with liquid
1 1/2 cups fresh tomato sauce
1 cup light coconut milk
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup unsweetened dried shredded coconut, lightly toasted (optional)

Preparation

Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently until soft and golden, about 15 minutes (reduce the heat to medium low, if necessary, to prevent the onion from burning).
Stir in the ginger and garlic; cook for 2 minutes.
Add eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, and 1/2 tsp salt; stir to coat thoroughly.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are barely tender, 7 - 10 minutes.
Stir in garam masala, coriander, cumin, turmeric, chile, tsp salt, and a few grinds of pepper.
Cook until the spices are fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
Pour in the chickpeas and their liquid, the tomato sauce, coconut milk and 2 tbsp of the cilantro.
Raise the heat to medium high and bring the stew to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, until the eggplant and zucchini are completely tender but still hold their shape and the sauce has thickened, 15 - 20 minutes.
To serve - ladle the stew into shallow rimmed bowls and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro and the toasted coconut (if using).